University teaching-research cluster created on the basis of the Faculty of Engineering Economics, Media Technologies and Social Sciences

In 2019, a university study-research cluster was created on the basis of the Faculty of Engineering Economics, Media Technologies and Social Sciences of the Georgia Technical University. In the 2019-2020 academic year, the cluster implemented the following activities.

Professors of Georgian Technical University - Ivane Jagodnishvili, Mamuka Beriashvili and their foreign colleagues: A new international and interdisciplinary collection was created and published under the editorship of the professors of the Georgian Technical University - Ivane Jagodnishvili, Mamuka Beriashvili and their foreign colleagues: T. Kobushi, G. Loman and I. Hardy: "Kulture, Religion, Philosophy".

The fundamental principle of the functioning of the European University is learning and teaching based on research. This means that a separate faculty of the university, which includes the relevant institutes, should be oriented to select interdisciplinary topics for research, which is a requirement of European universities. This is transdisciplinarity, that is, it means that the research topic should not only be of narrow academic importance, but should be socially relevant.

In the creation of this type of collection, it is important to involve public, social groups and non-governmental organizations in the research process, which is the main function and goal of transdisciplinarity.

The work of the university teaching-research cluster created on the basis of the Faculty of Engineering Economics, Media Technologies and Social Sciences was characterized by diverse activities.

On the initiative of the dean of the faculty - Ivane Jagodnishvili and Mamuka Beriashvili and with the support of the Technical University of Georgia, the following events were held in the last three years:

1. In the summer of 2019, a summer school for doctoral and master's students was organized in Sairme, Successful students of the Georgian Technical University and Akaki Tsereteli State University of Kutaisi participated in the event, which was financed from the "Open Society of Georgia" and the President's Reserve Fund. Invited to this project were: Berkeley University professor - Niklaus Largieli and Berlin Humboldt professor emeritus Andreas Arndt. (Similar projects were held in Anaklia and Kutaisi in previous years, in which high-level students of GTU participated, and foreign professors participated in the project: Johannes Weiss (Kassel), Georg Lohmann (Berlin), Theo Kobusch (Bonn).
2. With the activity of the Georgian Technical University and the financing of the Adenauer Foundation, on February 23-28, 2020, on Lopota Lake in Kakheti, a winter international colloquium for doctoral and master's students was held "Human rights as a task and challenge for a democratic society". German professors Theo Kobusch (Bonn), Andrea Arndt (Berlin) and Jörg Hard, who cooperated at the GTU base with a one-year employment contract, were invited to the said colloquium. On the Georgian side, quite high-ranking specialists participated - Lasha Bregvadze (GTU) and Mamuka Beriashvili himself. Doctoral students and a few master's students (as an exception) presented their papers in English and German. It was the first time that the colloquium was conducted in English-German languages without the help of an interpreter. 

3. Over the last three years, European professors were invited to the faculties of engineering economics, media technologies and social sciences and law and international relations of GTU: During the last three years, European professors were invited to the Faculty of Engineering Economics, Media Technologies and Social Sciences and Law and International Relations of GTU:

Walter Jeschke - (Scientific Director of the Hegel Archive and Chair of the Department of German Classical Philosophy at the University of Bochum), Georg Lohmann (Berlin), Arnd Pohlmann (Berlin), Theo Kobusch (Bonn), Johannes Weiss (Kassel), Matthias Kumm (Free University of Berlin), Ludwig Zipp (one of the greatest representatives of German idealism, New Age philosophy and social philosophy, Münster) and Martin Bolacher (Bochum). Invited professors conducted a series of seminars for master's and doctoral students. In order for studies to be carried out in GTU in accordance with modern European standards, the mentioned European colleagues and others actively cooperate with the respective academic structures of GTU, in the process of creating and publishing joint collections and books.

1. In addition to the collection - "Culture, Religion, Philosophy", the following collections have been published within the educational-research cluster:
   

- "Religion and State", editors: Mamuka Beriashvili, Arndt Polman.

- "Constitutional state and basic rights", editors: Mamuka Beriashvili, Georg Loman and Arndt Polman.

These works are interdisciplinary and internationalized.

4. Together with German, Bulgarian and Swedish professors, a collection was published - "The Philosophy of Martin Heidegger in Social-Theoretical Relations", which was printed for the first time in Georgia, and the publication of this type of collections is rare even in Europe. Editors: Mamuka Beriashvili, Johannes Weiss.

1. In 2019, the project "The idea of justice and freedom in the Georgian thought space" was completed and published, under the co-leadership of Mamuka Beriashvili and Ivane Jagodnishvili. The book "The Idea of Freedom" has already been published. G. V. F. According to Hegel's system of science, Authors: Mamuka Beriashvili, Mariam Khazaradze, Stefan Zimmerman. At the same time, in 2020, a collection will be published about one of the most pressing issues of our time - “Covid-19: challenges. Global and European New Social Order". The editor of the collection is Mamuka Beriashvili, and the scientific board consists of: Mamuka Beriashvili, Markus Gabrieli, Davit Gurgenidze, Theo Kobushi, Ilia Marjanidze, Giorgi Ghavtadze, Ivane Jagodnishvili, Tamar Tsopurashvili, Teona Khufenia. Meridian Publishing House handed over the book "Doctrine of Law" by Doctor of Philosophy Irakli Taboridze. And by October of this year, a collection will be released - "Concepts of freedom in the Georgian thinking area". Its publishers, along with the mentioned professors, are young PhD students of GTU.
2. It should be noted that the translation of the great German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's "Philosophy of Law" has been completed, which will be published by the end of September. The project was funded by the Faculty of Law and International Relations of GTU. The work was translated by professor Gia Baramidze and GTU doctoral candidate Mariam Khazaradze. At the same time, the Faculty of Engineering Economics, Media Technologies and Social Sciences is implementing projects for the publication of Hegel's "Philosophy of Religion" and Kant's anthropological and political texts.

Under the auspices of the Faculty of Engineering Economics, Media Technologies and Social Sciences of GTU, a large, five-year project called "State and Law" has been started. It starts from the ancient period and ends with modern social theories. In addition to GTU professors, PhD students and post-docs in this project - with composition as follows: Davit Galashvili, Mariam Khazaradze, Tornike Lelashvili, Ketevan Rcheulishvili, Irakli Taboridze -

Leading foreign professors also participate: Theo Kobusch, Andrea Arndt, Georg Lohmann, Arndt Pohlmann, Niklaus Largiere of Berkeley University. Volumes are divided as follows: Under the auspices of the Faculty of Engineering Economics, Media Technologies and Social Sciences of GTU, a large, five-year project called "State Law" has been launched. It starts from the ancient period and ends with modern social theories. In addition to GTU professors, PhD students and post-docs in this project, the composition of which is as follows: Davit Galashvili, Mariam Khazaradze, Tornike Lelashvili, Ketevan Rcheulishvili, Irakli Taboradze - leading foreign professors also participated: Theo Kobushi, Andrea Arndt, Georg Loman, Arndt Plman, Niklaus Largieri from Berkeley University. Volumes are divided as follows

"The Ancient World and the Middle Ages", "Renaissance and New Times", "German Classical Philosophy", "The Beginning of Modernity", "Modern Theories of the State and Law".

1. Together with the Austrian, German and French colleagues, an international conference dedicated to the first constitution of Georgia is planned. Leading social theorists and philosophers of law will be invited.
2. In 2024, the Hegel World Congress will be held on the direct initiative of the Faculty of Engineering Economics, Media Technologies and Social Sciences of the Technical University of Georgia, which is held every 2 years. For any country to receive the right to host this congress, it needs at least 8 years; Georgian Technical University, with its certain success and the support of European students and colleagues, was able to achieve this goal in a short time.  Up to three hundred leading specialists will participate, and at the same time, successful doctoral students of GTU will also have the opportunity to participate in it. This forum in humanitarian and social fields can be compared to the World Cup in football. It should be noted that the honorary chairman of the Hegel Society is the German professor Andreas Arndt, who works closely with GTU. A congratulatory letter has already been received from the International Hegel Society to the Rector of Georgian Technical University, which mentions that GTU is the host of the congress in 2024.

According to Mamuka Beriashvili, the head of the study-research cluster, the project is introduced to the Volkswagen Scientific Foundation in order for the doctoral students to carry out the preparatory work for the forum in full and to present their papers in a dignified manner. This will be an important project of 2021-2022.

In 2022, the Congress was held in Croatia, where Davit Gurgenidze, rector of the Georgian Technical University, Ivane Jagodnishvili, the dean of the faculty, and Mamuka Berishvili, head of the teaching-research cluster (presented in the report) were invited as guests of honor. It was at this congress that Davit Gurgenidze, rector of GTU, was officially awarded the diploma of the host country of the Hegel World Congress.

In the direction of research, the main mission of the university is to create new knowledge. The university is in the process of rebranding, beneficial reforms. It is also planned to develop the above-mentioned concepts in the course of teaching.

"This is, first of all, the development of a qualitatively new European model, a doctoral educational program, at the level of a working idea we are focused on social theories. It will be an interesting and attractive program. Qualitatively different from our doctoral educational programs."

It is planned to actively involve Georgian colleagues in the research process, along with European colleagues. At the level of the idea, an umbrella theme has been developed, which will be expected for approximately 3-4 years, under the name - "Europeanism of Georgian humanitarian thinking".

According to Ivane Jagodnishvili, "Together with our European colleagues, taking into account the purely Georgian and Georgian scientific traditions and experience, we agreed on this poem in the future, which will be translated into English and German languages." Due to the lack of translation practice, our scientific products are modestly presented in the European research and educational space, and we want to cover this shortcoming as much as we can. We would like to make the essays of Georgian scientists accessible to our European colleagues. In this regard, there is a high willingness to cooperate with the plans of our European colleagues, and all this will present the Georgian Technical University in a traditional, dignified manner in the scientific and educational space of international humanitarian and social directions.